If you’re a creative soul, you get ideas for projects from everywhere. The world around you is vibrating with energy and possibilities. You may find ideas for color combinations from a sunset, a person on the street, a run to the grocery store, but a trip to the garden is a sure bet for inspiration. This particular idea comes from a recent trip to the magnificent Missouri Botanical Garden. I’m in love with the extreme contrast of the hot oranges and golden yellows played against the dark green and dusty purples. Bold. Unusual. Stunning.

Look what our friend and embroiderer-extraordinaire, Mary Shroyer, created with her Janome 15000 embroidery machine. This quilt is “Sewn Seeds” by Hoop Sisters. The powerful pastels bring life and vitality to the flowers. Note how the “pool blue” plays against the brilliant yellow, and how the spring green vibrates against the rose-petal pink. It is absolutely gorgeous. Way to go, Mary!

The Diva Wallet pattern by Sew Many Creations has been one of our best-sellers. Check out how fabulous it is done in real, cow-hide leather with machine embroidery.

Isn’t it gorgeous?

Threads of Time has real leather in teal, dusky purple, indigo blue, and twilight gray, plus we have Janome embroidery machines, including the new 500E stand-alone embroidery machine that can make your embroidery designs a reality.

At Threads of Time, we were lucky enough to host Karen Kay Buckley for a lecture and 2 workshops. What a treat! This amazingly talented woman showcased her process, her tools, and her quilts in an inspiring presentation.

Karen and her quilting friend, Renae Haddadin, won “Best of Show” at Paducah in 2015 with their quilt “Majestic Mosaic.” The duo also won in 2013 with “Fiesta Mexico.”

Karen’s Perfect Scissors (in four sizes!), Perfect Stems, Perfect Circles, Perfect Rulers, and the fabulous Perfect Squares tools – (no need for multiple squares anymore because you can make multiple sizes for any need) – are the “perfect” tools to create your own masterpiece.

It happened in the mid 1800’s. Great ideas, intellect, and innovation came together in a group of writers who fed off of each others thoughts and encouraged each other’s aspirations. From that group, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Henry Ward Beecher emerged and shook up the literary world.

The same thing happened this weekend in Danville, Illinois at Threads of Time Creative Sewing and Retreat Center. Greatness inspired greatness. Talent encouraged talent. Creativity bred creativity. The Indianapolis Doll Club retreated there, and their imagination and talent inspired everyone who saw their creations. This group is a wildly creative, warm-hearted, fun-spirited entity with known names and major talent in the sphere of doll-making. If you’d like to join the club or need more information about their activities, you can check their website at http://indyclothdollmakers.blogspot.com/p/club-information.html.

One look at some of their marvelous projects, and you’ll want to experiment with color combinations, fine sewing techniques, and unique materials. Fabric, beads, fur, rick-rack, paint, cording, buttons, wool – and more!